Katy Perry, Owl City, and Hand-Weights (Week 24)

http://flipagram.com/f/RMuO1v03QH (Click to enjoy a fun video by Lori Jackson of many missionaries from Colorado including Sister Aurora Pack!)

Hello everyone,

Happy Fat Tuesday!  It is the day before Lent starts, if that matters to you.  Lent isn't something The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints does, but, since I researched it last year for school, I think it is a good practice.  It teaches us self-control.  I thought, if I was going to do Lent, what would I give up?  Honestly, I can't think of anything that is practical.  As a missionary, we already have given up so many things for 18 months.  Most of the things I do are things that I can't give up and still do the Lord's work properly.

Okay, so a few weeks ago I said I was missing Winter Garden.  I still love Winter Garden, and I always will, but I really do love my area NSB [New Smyrna Beach].  The ward is amazing, most especially the bishop.   He put together a musical fireside focused on the savior, so people could bring their friends.  The missionaries are singing Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing.  It is going to be so awesome.  We asked Patton Mauricio to join us to sing base, since Elder Galindo can't read music.  Patton is pretty much one of us now.  I think he is going to be submitting his papers soon.

Okay, for those who didn't pay attention to last week's letter, I am writing today [Tuesday], instead of yesterday because we had a Seventy come.  His name is Elder Zwick.  It was a super awesome mission conference.  It was fun to see Sister Taylor again.  I love her so much.

At the mission conference, they gave us the training for missions that are becoming iPad missions.  We already have iPads, so they changed it a little.  We now have to buy our iPads.  They can't have us buy the ones we are already using, for some legal reason that he didn't go into.  The iPads we currently have will be loaned to other missionaries.  They also want us to have iPads that have more memory and capacity.  This way our area book app won't crash, which happens a lot.  By the way, Mom and Dad, I didn't get a new iPad when I came out.  Missionaries inherit them from the missionaries who have gone home.  I got mine from an elder who got his visa to Brazil.  I know that because there were Portuguese things on it, and he was the only one who left who spoke Portuguese.

They have a program to introduce the iPads to new missions.  They will be doing it partly with us.  In the first step, missions don't use the area book app.  But since we already have it, we won't go back to the paper planners.  However, Facebook doesn't get introduced until later, so we won't be on Facebook for about two months starting next transfer.  President Berry called it a Facebook fast.  There are several trainings about the iPads and Facebook that they want us to watch.  It will help keep us safe as well as make sure we are using our time wisely.

Elder Zwick talked a lot about staying away from pornography.  The new iPads will have better filters, but no filter is perfect, which is why he talked about the internal filter each of us have.  He also talked about how we need to help our companions.  FYI, for those of you worried about missionaries with iPads, people don't need an iPad to find pornography.  Plenty of missionaries have been sent home for it without having iPads.  On a good note, the test missions (mine being one of them) showed that missionaries can be trusted with iPads.  Also, Elder Zwick said that this will help train us what to do when we return to an electronics and social media-filled environment.

If we follow the mission rules, we will be protected physically and spiritually.

They also showed us the new video the church came out with for Easter.  It was really good.  It is called, "Because He Lives."  I don't know when we will be allowed to show it to people.

We had a lesson with the Brackens this week, but I wasn't there because it was exchange day.   It is sad -- they kinda dropped us.  They said they don't want to schedule a time to meet since they want to take it slow.  They want some time to read the Book Of Mormon.  I am happy they want to read it, but I know they will progress faster if they meet with us more.  Anyway, they still are investigators.  I believe they will be baptized; they just need time. 

I finished reading "Our Search For Happiness."  I have been reading a little of it each night before I go to sleep to help me unwind.  I think it is really good.  Elder Ballard wrote it for people who aren't members of the church, so everyone could understand us better.  I recommend it for everyone.

Last Monday I bought some hand-weights, so I would actually exercise.  Some sisters, including Sister Nelson, have bought a Juliann Michaels' DVD.  I really hate her workouts, so I bought the hand-weights, and I work out while listening to music.  Speaking of which, I listen to a Katy Perry song.  It sounds so disobedient, but it is not.  She wrote the song before she was popular; it is called "By The Grace Of God."  Anyway, it is super awesome.  Mom or Mirth, could you find a Owl City song that is Christian?  I don't remember the name, but it is also awesome.

Miracle: The miracle happened this week on exchanges.  I was going to go to Deltona for the day with Sister Marsh.  I know I was supposed to be there that day.  We went to a less-active's home.  Her sons are into video games and the music therein.  Her oldest son makes remixes and composes his own songs as well.  He wants to compose music for video games for a living.  Anyway, Sister Marsh didn't know anything with respect to what they were talking about.  Sister Gonzalez wouldn't have know either, but because I talked with David a lot, I was able to have a conversation with them  I mentioned vocaloids (not sure how to spell it).  He said he knows of them and wants to get one.  The lesson was already awkward, because we could tell she doesn't believe the church is true.  However, it would have gone worse if I wasn't there.  I know the Lord made sure I was there that day.  Also we were going to exchange on Tuesday, but the exchange got moved to Wednesday because the STLs had to do an exchange with some other sisters at President Berry's request.

Pictures won't be coming this week, because we forgot to bring the card reader.  Sorry.  I'll send more next week.

✨Sister Aurora Pack

P.S. I didn't have time to write about the crazy things that have happened.  Sorry, maybe next week.